Elements of kitsch in the wartime journals of teenagers Hanna Zach and Renia Spiegel

Abstract

Present in all areas of art for many years, the image of war and the Holocaust also features in novels and non-fiction literature. As the knowledge and popularity of the subject grew, the possibility of shocking the reader with dramatic content decreased, which in turn led to the emergence of a new, disturbing phenomenon. Specifically, the authors tend to exploit the borderlines of what actually shocks the reader, while works based on the memories of war are reduced to simplified and distorted kitsch. Literary kitsch is sometimes associated with sentimentalism, mawkishness and mannerisms of style. All such qualities can be found in the diaries of teenagers growing up during the Second World War: Hanka Zach and Renia Spiegel. The young age of the authors seemsto be the main reason why the memories they recorded gravitate towards kitsch; a defence mechanism aimed at repressing the most traumatic events from consciousness is involved as well.